Vagabond (DISCONTINUED)
by SourNoodles
Summary: [SEQUEL TO LOST WITHOUT YOU] Following the murder of Sean Prescott, Chloe is now a wanted fugitive with blood on her hands. With the authorities bearing down on her and her options running out, she embarks on a mission to create a new life, all while fighting constant battles both physical and mental. All without Max.
1. Better Off Just Being Dead

**Chapter 1: Better Off Just Being Dead**

* * *

 **A/N: To all the readers of Lost Without You, please read the A/N I have at the end, thanks. :)**

It was odd staring at a version of herself that didn't brazenly boast vibrant cobalt hair. Her reflection seemed so unfamiliar, despite being one of herself.

Her hair was midnight black with streaks of crimson running through the side parting, she just couldn't resist having a non-conventional colour.

She ran her fingers through her newly decorated strands, and although she would miss her iconic blue, she already felt herself becoming familiar with the new look.

She exhaled a sigh of relief, now knowing that she could hide her noticeable hair from suspicious eyes.

After tossing away the emptied tubes of hair dye, she left the cramped bathroom, tossing her fatigued body onto the stiff mattress and staring blankly at the ceiling above her as her thoughts spiraled out of control.

Out of the many thoughts that festered in her head, the image of one person shone the brightest.

Just thinking about her was painful. It had been quite some time since she passed but it still hurt to bring the thought of her into her broken mind.

A single tear welled up in the corner of her azure eye and threatened to overcome the girl with relentless sobs. She wiped it away with her thumb before it could.

"Max…?" She knew her cry would be left unanswered, but a nagging instinct insisted on trying regardless.

She hoped for a response.

Anything.

But expectedly, silence continued to taunt her.

She was all alone again, just as she once was years ago.

The nightmares of abandonment and isolation returned to plague her once more after hibernating in her mind for so long.

She had no one to tell her everything was going to be okay.

No one to hold her.

No one to cry with.

So she cried alone.

This time, she let herself fall apart. No more fighting it. No more resisting.

Silent sobs filled the room and her pillow was soaked with grieving tears that flooded out from her weary eyes.

There was no motive to move on. She had managed to kill the man who had caused her all the pain and misery in the first place, she was granted vengeance.

It felt like the whole world was out to hunt her down, and under the circumstances, that didn't stray too far from the truth.

This was the fourth motel in a week. Every night was sleepless as her eyes were locked open with the worry that police would break down her door in a split second. It was radical and highly improbable, but to her, paranoia felt welcome.

She knew that she wouldn't be able to keep this up. Constantly checking in and out motels on a near daily basis was far from a viable option, but without any other choice at the moment, she settled for what she had.

She felt tempted to turn herself in, end everything and accept her fate.

But she knew she couldn't.

She knew she had to keep going. She had to.

After all, she was Chloe Price.

Chloe opened up the tattered brown envelope that contained the remaining funds she still had from her limited savings over the years. Just another stack of money she would have impulsively spent on marijuana, so she was more relieved that she held off from doing so.

After exhaling a sigh of mild panic and disappointment when she counted just under three-hundred dollars, she glanced at the clock on the wall which read 1:52 AM.

More than two hours ago she had checked in, and more than two hours ago she had tried to fall asleep.

She forced her eyes shut, and tried to focus on Max. She brought back nostalgic memories of her and her best friend together during a time when death and tragedy was just a myth they could easily ignore.

The images of a smiling Max brought much needed solace into Chloe's fragile mind, and before her momentary happiness could fade away, she drifted off to sleep.

 _Good night, Max._

* * *

When Chloe awoke, daylight had just begun peering its way into the room through the cracks in the curtains, blinding her with a ray of natural light. Her eyes squinted and adjusted themselves to the space around her and once she familiarized herself with the room, she groggily sat up.

The time read 7:02 AM, and Chloe groaned at another night lacking sleep. However, five hours was far better than none.

Seeing as she had no reason to stay any longer at the motel, she hastily packed up her belongings and made her way out the door.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that the motel hallway was completely deserted, but it didn't come to much as a surprise given the early hour.

Chloe stopped at the front desk and placed her key on the counter before ringing the bell to call for the manager as she impatiently tapped her foot. Checking out of a motel had become a part of her daily routine almost, something she could do in her sleep.

A short middle-aged woman with her red hair done up in a bun skipped out from a door behind the counter and met Chloe with a smile.

"Bright and early, aren't ya?" The woman greeted cheerfully. Chloe simply nodded in response. "Hey, you changed your hair." She had almost forgotten that she had re-dyed it, and her pupils shot up to see the ends of black and red strands barely peeking into her view.

"Uhh, yeah." Chloe mumbled.

"That's certainly new. Never in my fourteen years of running this place have I seen a guest dye their hair during a stay." The woman laughed heartily as she pulled the key towards her. Chloe just responded with a light forced chuckle.

The woman tapped away at a keyboard painfully slowly, adjusting her glasses and squinting at the boxy monitor that had gathered dust on its beige surface.

After what seemed like eternity, the woman finally smiled and gave Chloe the good news.

"Alright miss, you're all checked out. Thank you for staying." Her grin went from ear to ear and her smile almost felt contagious.

"Thanks." Chloe mumbled a final word and turned to leave before the woman's voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Hold on." A chill ran up Chloe's spine and panic began to overwhelm her. "I think I know you from somewhere." The girl gulped hard as she kept her back to the woman while her arms began to shake.

"You uhh, you do?" Chloe said as she reluctantly turned around. The woman placed a finger to her chin and gave off a contemplative expression.

"Yeah." A few tense moments passed as Chloe waited for the woman to finally realize her as a wanted fugitive and dial for the authorities. "Oh, that's it. You just remind me of one of my daughter's friends." Chloe let out a breath she had contained for the whole moment, breathless after narrowly escaping another human encounter. "Sorry about that. Take care now!" The woman waved goodbye and Chloe took that as her cue to dart out of the door, carelessly tossing her bags into the passenger seat of her truck before leaping into the driver side and jamming the key into the ignition.

The sound of screeching tires and a roaring engine slowly faded as the vehicle soared away from the motel parking lot.

* * *

"Chloe…?" Max's soft voice called shyly from across the room, and Chloe lifted her head to give her a somber smile.

"Hey, Max." She greeted before fixing her eyes back onto the framed picture she was originally focused on.

A picture of her and her father who proudly grinned behind her while she held a bright blue ribbon up to her chest with a nervous smile.

She remembered being so scared that day, anxious to present her project she had spent countless hours on. She remembered the look on her father's face when they had announced her as the winner. She remembered the tear in her father's eye as she accepted her prize in front of the audience of parents, teachers, and students, all applauding her work.

She remembered him, and that was all she was left with. Memories.

"What uhh…what are you looking at?" Max gingerly approached her best friend with a worried look in her eyes before she sat herself down next to her on the bed.

"Just…just a picture of me and my dad." Chloe admitted, wiping a tear that had landed on the glass cover.

"Oh." Max muttered, staring down at her feet before reluctantly placing a hand on Chloe's shoulder.

"He was so proud of me. I don't even know why." Chloe mumbled, chuckling as another tear began to form. She parted a few strands of her long blonde hair that had peeked into her sight.

"He was. I was proud too." Max smiled.

Chloe tightly squeezed Max and sniffled away a tear, clutching the picture firmly like it was a child.

"Chloe…" Max's voice held a pang of regret which Chloe could tell. "I have to tell you something." The blonde parted and stared at her friend with a look of concern.

"What is it?"

"I…" Max seemed to find it difficult to just make eye-contact with Chloe, and over the many years of their friendship, Chloe knew that it meant something important was on Max's mind.

"Max, what is it?" Her voice became more urgent, worried about her best friend and determined to find out what had been bothering her. She placed the framed photo and placed it behind her, keeping her eyes fixed on her friend.

"I…" Max wiped away a tear in her eye before returning her eyes to Chloe's. "I'm leaving." Chloe was puzzled, wondering what her friend meant by it.

"Wha…what do you mean?"

"I'm leaving Arcadia Bay." Max's voice trembled as she hung her head down once more and began to quietly sob, instantly regretting what she had told Chloe.

"Leaving…? How long?" Chloe's question sparked a reaction in Max that looked as if a knife had gone through her heart.

"I…I think forever." A million things crashed inside of Chloe's head, pillars within her mind crumbling and collapsing into pieces that could not be repaired.

"Wha…Why…You're _leaving_?" Chloe's voice was ice cold, yet evident of her fragility. It trembled with every syllable, ready to turn into wails of sorrow and apathy.

"My dad…found a job…in Seattle…" Max had to take pauses amidst her sentences to weep, and her words were almost inaudible.

"Seattle? Max…" As Chloe took a moment to absorb everything, sadness turned into anger as she felt destroyed, betrayed. "How…how could you do this to me?!" Her voice pierced the air like daggers, erupted into shrieks of hatred that pummeled Max into a hole of guilt she could never escape.

"I'm sorry! I'm…I'm _so_ sorry, Chloe! I wish I didn't have to go-"

"Then don't go!" Chloe pleaded, cutting Max's sentence off and denying the fact that her best friend was deserting her.

"I have to. I…I can't stay here."

"Why not?! Max, I need you more than _anyone_ right now. My fucking _dad_ died two weeks ago and you're _leaving_?!" Chloe locked Max in a resentful gaze the brunette could not escape. She was left speechless, scavenging her mind for something to say but to no avail.

"I…I don't know what to say…"

"Then fine. Don't say anything." Chloe shifted around so her back faced Max and huddled herself on her bed as tears trickled down her cheeks. "Just go."

"What?"

"I said _go_!"

"Chloe, please-"

"You're leaving anyways, right? Might as well just do it now." Chloe wasn't able to see how Max reacted to what she had said, but she knew she hurt her.

She heard the door shut moments later, allowing her to cry alone. A wave of emotion left her eyes in the form of streams of tears that trickled down her cheeks and through her blurred vision, she saw the photo of her and her father in her peripherals.

In a fit of blind fury, she shrieked violently and hurled the picture across the room, letting it crash into her wall and land with a dull thud. She fell onto her bed and wept into her pillow, soaking it with waves of tears she couldn't hold back.

She was alone.

No father, and now, no Max.

Her eyes shut and the world around her faded to nothing.

Then…

* * *

Chloe's body shot up in her seat, jolting forward so quick that she nearly hit her head on the steering wheel in front of her.

Her breathing was heavy and desperate, and beads of sweat stained her forehead as her heart raced.

The cabin of her truck was tinted a light tangerine as the sun set before her, disappearing over the horizon of dense forest green.

Chloe sighed and rubbed away the sleep in her eyes, adjusting her vision to settle on the majestic scenery in front of her beyond the truck's windshield.

 _I bet Max could take some awesome shots of this._

Before her dreams of Max could get carried away and fill her mind with grief again, she shook away the thoughts and focused her attention on a more pressing issue; her hunger. Her stomach felt empty, and she found it genuinely difficult to recall her last meal.

She leaned over to the passenger seat and zipped open the large suitcase, picking out a can of peaches that was packed along with a small selection of canned goods that remained after a week on the road.

Her options dwindled. Food was running out, money was falling short, and her truck had begun to show its age after occasional breakdowns on the freeway.

Chloe chose to focus on the present. She tore the can open with the can opener she carried with her and then swallowed gulps of the preserved fruit inside the tin housing.

She couldn't remember her last meal that wasn't from a tin can or a shoddy motel kitchen, and suddenly she found herself drooling over the thought of her mother's cooking. Suddenly, her peaches lost their taste.

Despite that, she finished the whole can, preserving every drop as she knew that rationing was crucial now more than ever.

She carelessly tossed the now empty can out her driver-side window before switching the ignition on and rolling away from the cliffside spot she had parked in for the night. She gave one final glance to the sight of elegant pine trees, locking it in her memory to hopefully help wash away any of the negative thoughts that still plagued her.

It had been enough time for her to feign cluelessness, pretend like she didn't know where to go when the decision seemed obvious. No more would she drive aimlessly, lying to herself that she was running from what she had been haunted by for so long.

She needed to start anew.

A blank slate, a chance to begin a life where she was no longer Chloe Price, but instead someone else who bore the shadow of her.

Chloe drove with her eyes fixated on the road in front of her. She had memorized the route to this destination that she had considered travelling to throughout the week, staring at its spot on her map so much that she had managed to embed it into her brain.

Just less than an hour later, a sign greeted her to the place she hoped to call home.

 _Portland._

* * *

 **A/N: It's about damn time, isn't it? I don't even know if people still remember Lost Without You after how I ended it.**

 **Yes, I know it was unexpected and anti-climactic, and I'd like to apologize to those who felt that it could have been more. As it was my first fanfic-nevermind, first real piece of fiction, that I've ever written, I just didn't know how to end it. I had this epic idea that I thought people would love and by the time I finished it, it turned out to be underwhelming. I regret how I ended Lost Without You, and I also regret a lot of the plot choices I made for it. A lot of things felt forced and ridiculous.**

 **However, a promise is a promise and I swore I'd make a sequel, so here it is. This one will be better, I'll do my best to make sure of that, and I hope you'll give me a second chance to provide you an entertaining story.**

 **I also did say I would start this after 24/7, but I never anticipated that it'd be going on for so long. People really love it and I still have loads to do with it and I feel as if waiting even longer to release this it wouldn't be right, it's been long enough already.**

 **Right, many things await you, me, and most importantly, Chloe. Stay tuned, and I hope you look forward to more.**


	2. Reborn

**Chapter 2: Reborn**

Portland felt welcoming almost, despite the fact that Chloe knew that authorities there would be out to hunt her down. However, she oddly felt relieved to reach the city, but worried that it may bring dreadful memories of Rachel, just another one of the many close people she had lost.

She shook away the image of Rachel from her head and drove on, entering the narrow streets of the city's neighbourhoods.

She felt rather out of place in her derelict truck and being surrounded by more modern, well-kept vehicles slightly daunted her and rose the concern that she would raise attention, which added just another reason to get rid of it. However, just the thought of abandoning her loyal companion stung, so she chose not to dwell on it further.

Just like before, focus on the present.

She veered onto the main road and her mouth began to water at the sight of various restaurants of different cultures and cuisines, and she felt tempted to blow a chunk of her savings on a proper meal. Perhaps she could finally treat herself to some well-deserved food.

Her stomach growled in an intensity she could not ignore, so she screeched into the parking lot of an appealing Thai restaurant and impatiently headed inside.

The aroma of spices and meats flooded her nose with an irresistible urge to raid the kitchen and wharf down whatever she could see, but she maintained her calm and shyly stepped over to the reservation desk.

Upon first glance, the finely dressed Asian server gave off a look of shock with mild disgust at Chloe's image, and the punk looked down to realize that she hadn't worried so much about the stained tank top and tattered jeans she was wearing.

She muttered a curse under her breath but seeing as it was too late and she was too hungry to leave, she placed herself in front of the waitress.

"Table for one?" The woman asked, switching her look to a more collected and well-mannered one with a menu tucked under her arm.

Chloe nodded and the woman escorted her to a lone table near the corner of the establishment. She kept her head ducked along the way, trying to avoid detection but at the same time due to the embarrassment from her attire.

She sat herself down, relieved that she was out of sight of most of the customers to allow her to eat and think in peace, and once she felt satisfied with her position, she opened up the menu and her eyes widened at the range of choice she had, but also the prices.

Her stomach begged her to order every item she could read, but her sensible side refused to, so she settled for some fried rice and noodles.

As she scanned the nearby tables and booths, she noticed that she was the only one who was alone. It was an odd sense of jealousy that she somewhat scolded herself for feeling, but another side of her excused it given her circumstance.

She missed Max more than anything in the world, and all she wanted right then was to see her just as she did before at the lighthouse.

It had been over a week since she had heard her beautiful and innocent voice, and it had been the most painful week of her life. Isolation wasn't an unfamiliar feeling, but it was a feeling she had overcome before and never wished to feel again.

Just before she could get further lost in her thoughts, the waitress returned with her food and the steaming plate of Thai cuisine made Chloe drool madly.

She began wharfing down the food, barely chewing at all and shoving mouthfuls down her throat and subtly moaning with bliss.

When she looked back up from her plate to catch a breath and swallow her food, she noticed the other customers eyeing her briefly before returning to their own meals with a look of disgust. Chloe blushed in embarrassment and finished the plate and quickly waved over the waitress for her bill.

Finally emerging from the restaurant refreshed and stuffed, she made her way back to the truck but halted in her tracks when she saw the back of a woman who was clearly attempting to break into her vehicle with what seemed to be a manipulated coat-hanger.

Furious, she stomped over and immediately grabbed the girl by her shoulders, swung her around and slammed her onto the driver side door, which let out an echoing bang as her back hit the rusty metal. Chloe grabbed the girl by the collar and held her with a fiery look in her eyes.

The girl looked about the same age as Chloe, she was slightly shorter and had a blonde asymmetric haircut with the left side of her head shaven. She wore a leather jacket over a black crop top and blue tattered jeans with what seemed to be a metal chain dangling from her belt. Her eyes were a bright green, with a petite nose and pale skin. She would have certainly been deemed attractive to most in a rebellious and aggressive sense.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Chloe spat, gritting her teeth as the car jacker's face transitioned from shock to a surprising casual look with a cocky smirk.

"Oh no, don't worry, I wasn't trying to steal your truck. I was just gonna leave a batch of cupcakes and go on my merry way." Chloe could already tell this girl was the typical fearless and arrogant type, a characteristic she had ran into all too much during her stint at Blackwell.

"You think this is funny? What the fuck were you doing with my truck?!" Chloe demanded, shoving the girl against the door again with her hands still gripping her jacket collar tenaciously.

"Wait, this is _your_ truck? Fucking hell, you are _way_ too hot to be driving this piece of crap." The girl joked, only vexing Chloe further.

"Do you want me to break your fucking arm?"

"I don't know. _Can_ you?" Not being able to endure any more of the girl's antics, Chloe drove a fist into her gut, causing her to fold over in pain. The punk quickly forced her back up to balance and pressed her into the truck door even more.

"That answer your question?"

"Damn girl, you can really throw a punch. Thought you'd be one of those wannabe tough kids who acted high and mighty but couldn't actually kill a paralyzed fly." The girl wheezed as the recovered from the blow.

"I'm going to ask you one last time; what were you doing with my truck?" Chloe ferociously asked again, not wanting to waste another breath on the girl.

"Geez, are we _still_ on that? Uhh, hello? I was trying to steal it, duh." There was a pause as Chloe took her eyes off the girl and looked around her surroundings. Then, she pointed to a luxury sedan parked on the other side of the lot.

"You see that? That thing is probably ten times what my truck is worth, yet you didn't try to steal it. You care to explain why?" The girl merely rolled her eyes.

"God, of course I'm not gonna steal _that_. That thing is probably locked up better than Fort Knox. I even breathe on it, it'll probably send out a distress signal to the goddamn army. Plus, I have someone who'd pay good bucks for something like your machine." The girl winked, oddly enough, catching Chloe off guard briefly but not enough for her to express her confusion.

"Well, sucks for you 'cause you're not taking it." The girl rolled her eyes once again, still not phased by Chloe's aggressive attitude.

"Clearly." The girl looked down and noticed her predicament before looking back into Chloe's blue eyes. "Can you uhh, let me go? Your truck's door handle is kinda pressing itself into my back and it is not comfy."

Chloe simply pushed the girl in tighter, prompting the blonde to let out an exaggerated sigh.

"Look, I can be fair here. I sell the truck and I'll give you half of what I get. It'll still be much more than what this hunk of crap is worth now. That is if it's actually worth anything." Chloe scoffed at the proposal, although a miniscule thought in the back of her mind suggested her to accept the deal.

"You think this is funny?" Chloe asked assertively, ignoring that microscopic temptation.

"Clearly not since you're not laughing. Plus, I'm being dead serious."

"Fuck. You."

"Fine, how about I give you sixty-percent?" Chloe sharply chuckled at the girl's persistence.

"You got some real balls, you know that?"

"So I've been told. Look, final offer; seventy." Chloe found it difficult to determine whether or not the girl was being genuine or devoting herself to a joke.

"Does the look on my face say 'yes'?"

"I don't know, I've only seen you pissed off so I can't tell."

"Can you not take a hint? I said _no_." Another annoyed sigh exhaled from the girl's nose, and she slumped her shoulders slightly.

"Fine. Suit yourself." Before Chloe could understand what she meant by that, the girl thrust a fist into Chloe's stomach that caused the punk to wrench in pain and release her grasp on her captive, granting her just enough freedom to shove the bluenette back.

Before Chloe could retaliate, her assailant swung her around and all Chloe heard was the clang of a chain hitting the pavement before she felt her neck being pressured hard, suffocating her windpipe and causing her to gasp for air as the grabbed onto the chain that was now wrapped around her neck in a desperate attempt to break free.

The girl was certainly strong for her size and appearance, and Chloe's struggles were to no avail.

Her vision slowly blurred as she slowly faded out of consciousness, but she heard the girl's voice one final time.

"Sorry."

Then everything went black.

* * *

 **A/N: Come on, it wouldn't be one of my stories without a cliffhanger, would it? ;)**


	3. Don't Mess With Me

**Chapter 3: Don't Mess With Me**

Chloe's eyes slowly awoke and the blurry image of a messy bedroom came into view. She felt a sense of dizziness consuming her and she a mild soreness in her throat as she tried to recollect what had happened.

Instinctively, she attempted to lift her hand up to wipe away the grogginess from her eyes, but she was prevented from doing so by some unknown restraint. She began struggling and only then realized that she had been bound to a chair by both her wrists and her ankles with layers of thick duct tape, and any struggle to escape was futile.

Focusing on remaining calm, she took a deep breath and assessed her surroundings. The room was in shambles, a state that strongly reminded Chloe of her own room. Dusty posters of rock bands painted the walls and torn magazines along with various pieces of garbage littered the aged wooden floor. The walls were a faded green, resembling the shade of an artichoke, with parts of it completely torn off revealing the layer of drywall underneath.

The room was furnished with a decrepit bed and an old dresser that seemed to be missing its handle, but most notably, a metal safe rested in the corner of the room next to the bed acting as a crude bedside table, as a lamp along with a small stack of books had been placed on its surface.

Before Chloe could hatch up a plan to escape, the door to the room creaked open which revealed the blonde girl in an oversized t-shirt and pajama shorts, sparking Chloe's memory and instantly reminding her of what had happened. Her face immediately turned hostile.

"Oh, Sleeping Beauty's awake." The girl remarked, surprised to see that Chloe had stirred. "Sorry if the chair wasn't so comfy, I couldn't find anything else." She shut the door and pulled up another chair that had been next to the door, swinging it backwards and sitting down the opposite way. She stared Chloe directly in the eye with a mischievous smirk on her face.

"How you feeling?" The girl asked with a smile on her face.

"Let me go." Chloe demanded, tugging on her restraints once for good measure.

"Oh yeah, sure. I'll go through the effort of tying you down just to let you out the moment you wake up." The girl spoke with an evident tone of sarcasm, throwing her hand in the air and rolling her eyes. "I have a few questions I must ask, and you're gonna answer them."

"Fuck you." Chloe spat, sending the girl a dirty look.

"Look, cut the tough girl act, it's getting old. The way I see it, you have no other choice. You're tied with no way of escaping so either you do as I ask, or I'll keep you here as long as I want." Chloe took a moment to think, seeing that her options were practically non-existent and that the best chance she had of getting out unharmed was to obey orders, but given her rebellious attitude and distaste for authority and being told what to do, she found it more difficult than it seemed.

"What do you want?" Chloe asked, impatient and eager to leave the chair.

"Information. Simple as that."

"Fine. I'll talk."

"Good. But just letting you know though, you even _think_ about lying to me, I'll catch it," The girl leaned in until she was directly in front of Chloe's face to the point that the punk felt her breath on her nose. "and I don't. Like. Liars." She whispered before grinning and falling back to her original place.

"I get it."

"Good. So first things first, let's get formalities outta the way. I'm Sam." The blonde placed a hand on her chest to introduce herself. "Secondly, I wanna know what your deal is."

"What does that mean?" Chloe asked, puzzled by the vagueness of the question.

"I can tell just by the way you talk and act that you're no Portlander. You're from outside the city and I wanna know where you're from, and what you're doing here."

"You must be out of your goddamn mind. Yeah, I'm not from Portland, I'm just visiting. I was just unlucky enough to have some psychotic bitch try to jack my truck and then kidnap me." Chloe leaned as forward as far as her bound legs and hands would let her, enough to slightly tug the chair forward.

"Wow, not even a minute in and we're starting with the lies. I was being serious when I said I could tell. Also, I'd watch your mouth, have you seen the little pickle you're in right now?" The girl exhaled a sigh. "Then again, you probably have bigger fish to fry than _me_. Isn't that right," Sam impishly smirked and leaned her head slightly forward. "Chloe Price?"

Chloe's eyes widened and her heart skipped a beat. Her minor advantage of having an enigmatic status had been diminished in an instant, and now a tiny sense of desperation peeked its way into her head as confidence dwindled.

"Are you surprised? You really didn't think that I was _that_ stupid, right? Did you _really_ think I was trying to jack your truck 'cause I knew someone who wanted something like it? You're the only person who'd love that piece of shit. The moment I saw that junkbox I knew _exactly_ who had drove into town. The girl whos face is all over the news, the 'Prescott Killer' as they dubbed you." Sam stood up and looked down at Chloe, asserting her already overwhelming dominance. "I saw you stuffing your pretty little face in that restaurant and couldn't resist. You know how much the cops would pay me for bringing you in? Makes me giddy just thinking about it." The blonde stepped around Chloe's chair and placed her slender fingers on the bluenette's shoulders. "The amount of favours I'd score with the pigs. All that track record I have, that could all be gone the second I turn you in." Sam snapped her fingers right next to Chloe's ear before walking around until she was back in front of Chloe. She placed herself directly in front of her, less than an inch away from contact before she knelt down and stared Chloe deeply in the eyes. "I have everything to gain, and you have everything to lose." Sam giggled. There was almost a brief hint of evil in her laugh as she lightly slapped Chloe on the cheek, causing the punk to recoil back instinctively in rage. "The thing is though, I could have taken you straight to the cops after I choked you cold. Woulda been easy, and if I did that, you'd be talking to some sweaty pit detective wannabe with your hands in cuffs right now, but instead, here we are."

"What do you want from me?" It was clear that Sam had other devious plans awaiting Chloe, and the words left her mouth in an attempt to feign cooperation.

"I have many things that need to be done, and I can't do it alone. You have skill, tools, and most importantly, information."

"I don't know what information I could possibly have that you would need."

"Oh I wouldn't assume that, my naïve little Chloe. You see, I unfortunately am tied up with the wrong people. People that just so happen to be connected to a certain Sean Prescott that you murdered in cold blood. Do you see where I'm going with this?"

"I'm not helping you do shit. I don't know what the news has been saying but I am not some highly trained assassin. Find someone else."

"Not the words I wanna hear, Chlo. I couldn't give a shit if you could kill three guys in a bar with a shot glass or barely be able to lift up a knife without cutting yourself. I just need whatever's in that pretty little head of yours." Sam tapped Chloe's temple with her index finger, prompting Chloe to immediately recoil back in reaction.

Chloe scowled at the blonde furiously weighing her very limited, and frankly very distasteful options. She could take the easy way out and oblige, but with how Sam had presented herself so far, Chloe saw that as a final resort. Escape felt practically impossible as well. Her limbs weren't budging and even if Sam were to free her, Chloe would easily be overwhelmed by her superior combat skills.

Chloe muttered a curse and exhaled a deep breath.

"Look, I'm not evil." Sam argued, causing Chloe to scoff.

"That's hilarious." Chloe replied.

"I am not. If things were simpler, we wouldn't be in this situation right now. If things were simpler, I wouldn't be on every Portland thug's shitlist, but look at where we are now. I do this to _survive_ , and if that means having to knock you out and threaten you, that's what I'll do. Trust me, you'd do the same if you were in my shoes." There was a moment as Sam waited for Chloe to respond.

"What _exactly_ do you want?" Chloe asked straightforwardly.

"I need the details on Sean Prescott's link to the IRS." That rung a bell in Chloe's head.

"I don't know anything about that." She lied, hoping she could fool Sam.

"There it is, another lie. The police dug through Ray Wells' computer and found everything. Unfortunately for me, they've kept it open to the imagination, and all I know is that Prescott was 'associated with the IRS in some way'," Sam made air quotes. "and I wanna know that 'association' is."

Chloe's head switched back and forth between her options of spilling the truth or lying. Sam had claimed an almost supernatural ability to distinguish truth and lies, but she could have been bluffing. Although, if she wasn't, Chloe would only worsen the already stressful situation if she was caught.

"Fuck. It was tax evasion." Chloe chose to avoid risk. She was helpless with no way out. Her only chance at freedom was cooperation, but she just hoped for a swift resolution.

"Keep going." Chloe winced at Sam's desire for details.

"He was helping Ray Wells evade taxes as a part of a deal between them."

"And what was this 'deal'?"

"Wells let Prescott's son do whatever the fuck he wanted at Blackwell without consequence." Sam looked up at the ceiling with her fingers on her chin in contemplation, seemingly evaluating Chloe's credibility.

"I see. Now exactly how long was the deal going on for?"

"I don't know. Everything I just told you is all I have." Chloe hoped that Sam would believe her, but the look on the blonde's face began disintegrated that hope. After a tense moment of deep staring, Sam nodded her head.

"Alright. That's good." Chloe breathed out a sigh of relief, praying that she could finally leave.

"Can I go now?"

"Nah." Chloe clenched her fists at Sam's refusal.

"Why not, I did everything you asked me to do!"

"Yeah, but I expected you to know _far_ more than what you just told me. You still have work to do."

"Fuck you! Let me go!" Chloe struggled in the chair furiously, causing it to shift around on the floor. As she fought to free herself, Sam left the room only to return moments later with one hand behind her back and a regretful look on her face.

"I _really_ didn't wanna have to do this. I'm sorry." Chloe raised an eyebrow in confusion and halted her struggling.

In a single swift action, Sam revealed a syringe in her hidden hand and before Chloe could react, the needle was plunged into her neck and an oddly familiar sensation washed over her before her vision blurred.

* * *

 **A/N: Say 'hello' to Sam! :D**


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